Where can I get Quality STEM Resources?

Where can I get quality STEM Resources?  

Once we start thinking about this question, it actually unravels into two parts:

• Where can I find resources?
• Once I locate them, how do I know if they're quality STEM lessons?

Where Can I Find Resources
This is the easy part! Resources are everywhere and a great place to start is with Google.  By searching some carefully selected keywords (such as STEM lessons, elementary STEM projects, STEM challenges for high school students) over 10+ million resources will reveal themselves.  If you don't have time to wade through these resources, try my Quick List of STEM Resources for K-12 Students and Teachers.  This list is short on purpose and contains only vetted, worthwhile resources.  

ALL Those Resources 

There are a lot of companies and organizations who have jumped on the STEM band wagon and there are many resources available.  The only problem is that the resources that they are identifying as STEM lessons, materials, etc. aren't always true STEM resources.  So, once you've found a resource, how can you identify if it's any good or not?  

Are you a Good STEM Resource or a Bad STEM Resource?

All STEM Resources have certain characteristics in common. Knowing these characteristics helps us to identify whether or not a STEM resource is a good one or not.  The resource should:

• Provides a cross-curricular approach, incorporating your state standards and district curriculum for science, technology, engineering, and math?
• Is a project-based challenge for students to solve
• Promotes collaborative skills, critical thinking and problem solving skills
• Contains a transparent technology component
• Reinforces the Engineering Design Process in some way

Once these characteristics have been met, the resource should prove to be a valuable STEM resource to use in your classroom!